The arrest and questioning of Dmitry Rybolovlev could prove to be bad news for Trump should Mueller link Trump's sale of New York and Florida properties to Rybolovlev to Russian money laundering activities:

Extract: "Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev was detained for questioning Tuesday at the request of a Monaco judge in relation to a probe into corruption and influence peddling, his attorneys said, confirming a report by French newspaper Le Monde."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "House Democrats say they’re also ready to act as a backstop if Trump follows through on more than 18 months of pent-up angst and fires Mueller or tries to meddle with the special counsel’s work through a major shakeup at the Justice Department.

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has already pledged to make sure Mueller’s “documentation is preserved” and the likely next House speaker also holds in her back pocket the threat of launching impeachment hearings against Trump if the president tries to oust Mueller or if the special counsel’s investigators ultimately uncover a smoking gun involving criminal behavior.

Democrats are even prepping a break-glass scenario in case there’s a Nixon-era Saturday Night Massacre during which Trump fires his current DOJ leadership and tries to shutter the Mueller probe in the process. If that happens, senior Democratic officials say Mueller would likely get an immediate summons to Capitol Hill for nationally televised testimony about his findings."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Unfortunately (as far as I'm concerned), the Ds can do very little until January 3 (beyond bluster), which gives President Trump a huge window to do (what I might consider to be) mischief. I'm sort of surprised something hasn't happened already.

“So I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment and that attorney general doesn’t fire Bob Mueller, but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt,” Whitaker said during an interview with CNN in July 2017.

Asked if that would be to dwindle the special counsel’s resources, Whitaker responded, “Right.”

In an op-ed for CNN, Whitaker wrote: “Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing.”

Extract: "President Trump has tapped Justice Department chief of staff Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general in the wake of Jeff Sessions' resignation until a permanent replacement is made.

Why it matters: The DOJ oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential Russian collusion during the 2016 elections. Traditionally, the Senate-confirmed deputy attorney general, in this case Rod Rosenstein, would step in as acting Attorney General in the event of a top vacancy. Trump has instead chosen his own pick, which is likely to raise questions about whether the White House seeks to have Whitaker take a more hard-lined stance on the investigation. Whittaker has spoken unfavorably about the investigation, writing in a CNN op-ed last year that the investigation was "going too far" and risked becoming a "mere witch hunt" if Mueller began looking into Trump's finances.

The background: Whitaker was formerly a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and ran for Senate in Iowa in 2014, but lost in a primary to Joni Ernst. He played college football at the University of Iowa, where he also played tight end and went to the Rose Bowl.

• Whitaker is considered a Trump loyalist, and "has served as what one White House aide called a 'balm' on the relationship between the president and the Justice Department," the New York Times' Katie Benner and Maggie Haberman have reported. • White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has called Whitaker the White House's " eyes and ears" into the DOJ, per the Times. • He's been floated before — as a replacement for Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and White House counsel Don McGahn.

What to watch: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already called for Whitaker's recusal from the Mueller probe. We're likely to see more of this from Democrats who will soon gain the power of subpoena in the House, as they won the majority last night, and are expected to launch a slew of investigations of their own into Trump and Russia relations."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "President Trump's pick to replace ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to take over oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed Wednesday.

"The Acting Attorney General is in charge of all matters under the purview of the Department of Justice," DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement to The Hill.

The move means that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will no longer oversee the federal Russia investigation, which he has looked over since Sessions recused himself early last year due to his work on Trump's campaign."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

There will be a lot of people to keep an eye on in coming days and weeks ... but two I am watching closely are:

1). Lindsay Graham2). General Mattis

Lindsay Graham is being politically blackmailed by Trump. There is something that Trump is holding over Graham to cause such a shift in Graham’s stance. A “good crook” gets people involved that he can control. Some people can be controlled via greed, some people because they have no spine, and some people have to be blackmailed. Graham is in that latter category.

Mattis: The only person in the administration with ethics. What is Mattis going to do. Trump has to know he can’t trust Mattis to be corrupt like he can with others around Trump. How/when does Mattis leave office? Under what conditions? Mattis knows what Trump is doing .... now, what is he going to do about it? Mattis has loyalty to COUNTRY ... not to Trump ... and Trump knows that.

As one of the top priorities of psychopaths is to minimize the risk of detection, and now that Trump has pushed aside both Sessions and Rosenstein within a three hour window; I suspect 'The Donald' will slow down the pace of his modern equivalent of Nixon's 'Saturday Night Massacre', by instructing Whitaker to order Mueller to provide Whitaker with a thorough written briefing of all aspects of Mueller's investigation. Then Whitaker may be ordered to pass this information covertly on to Trump's legal team so that they can: a) hedge their responses to Mueller's questions; b) sign mutual legal defense agreements with any key co-conspirators so that they can share this intelligence; and c) can provide guidance back to Whitaker as to how to effectively sideline Mueller's continuing investigation. Then when Whitaker's actions to sideline Mueller put him at sufficient risk of legal charges of obstruction of justice, Trump can nominate Whitaker's permanent replacement and push his approval through the GOP controlled Senate.

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "The South Carolina senator once warned the president not to fire Jeff Sessions. Now, he’s singing a different tune.…Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) once vowed that there would be “holy hell to pay” if President Donald Trump ever fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Yet when Sessions got the boot on Wednesday ― his letter said he resigned at the president’s request ― Graham offered a different message.

“I look forward to working with President Trump to find a confirmable, worthy successor so that we can start a new chapter at the Department of Justice and deal with both the opportunities and challenges our nation faces,” he said in a statement online."

« Last Edit: November 08, 2018, 05:59:45 PM by AbruptSLR »

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

While citing a number of possible ways that Whitaker may act to disrupt the Mueller investigation, the linked op/ed piece nots that Whitaker could simply rescind the DOJ regulation under which Mueller was appointed:

Title: "Sessions’s replacement can destroy Mueller probe — without having to fire anyone"

Extract: "The solicitor general, Robert Bork, finally agreed to do Nixon’s bidding. This prompted a political backlash, as well as a court decision declaring the firing unlawful. Months later, a Democrat-controlled Congress filed articles of impeachment. Nixon resigned before the case for impeachment went to trial in the Senate.

Interestingly, Bork did another thing after the firing: He rescinded the Department of Justice regulations establishing the procedures for appointing a special prosecutor in the first place. …What does all of this mean for Whitaker’s power over Mueller going forward? Like the law that governed the Nixon special prosecutor’s appointment, if Whitaker rescinded the regulation altogether, there would be no “higher” law to stop him.

It’s not readily evident whether in that event Mueller’s ongoing investigation would evaporate along with it — or whether the existing probe would be “grandfathered in” somehow. But it doesn’t really matter. If things get to that point, team Trump will have surely figured out a way to put a final nail in the coffin."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

... I suspect 'The Donald' will slow down the pace of his modern equivalent of Nixon's 'Saturday Night Massacre', by instructing Whitaker to order Mueller to provide Whitaker with a thorough written briefing of all aspects of Mueller's investigation. Then Whitaker may be ordered to pass this information covertly on to Trump's legal team so that they can: a) hedge their responses to Mueller's questions; b) sign mutual legal defense agreements with any key co-conspirators so that they can share this intelligence; and c) can provide guidance back to Whitaker as to how to effectively sideline Mueller's continuing investigation. Then when Whitaker's actions to sideline Mueller put him at sufficient risk of legal charges of obstruction of justice, Trump can nominate Whitaker's permanent replacement and push his approval through the GOP controlled Senate.

Something like this may well be Trump's plan. I'm skeptical that Whitaker would be this much of a patsy. This course of action sounds like plain obstruction of justice. He's surely aware that past Attorneys General have served time in prison for obstruction. More likely, Whitaker would just scale back resources available to Mueller.

It may make little difference now. Mueller has massive piles of information collected, and his office has recently dismissed some of his hired attorneys--likely for completion of work at hand.

Note that technically, Mueller's grand jury(ies) don't answer to Mueller, he answers to them. A grand jury can issue indictments and subpoenas regardless of Whitaker's wishes. They just need to be a little gutsy to do this. I would surmise that Mueller has educated them to be gutsy in their decisions, in preparation for our current situation.

Something like this may well be Trump's plan. I'm skeptical that Whitaker would be this much of a patsy. This course of action sounds like plain obstruction of justice. He's surely aware that past Attorneys General have served time in prison for obstruction. More likely, Whitaker would just scale back resources available to Mueller.

It may make little difference now. Mueller has massive piles of information collected, and his office has recently dismissed some of his hired attorneys--likely for completion of work at hand.

Note that technically, Mueller's grand jury(ies) don't answer to Mueller, he answers to them. A grand jury can issue indictments and subpoenas regardless of Whitaker's wishes. They just need to be a little gutsy to do this. I would surmise that Mueller has educated them to be gutsy in their decisions, in preparation for our current situation.

While I certainly hope that you are correct, it would be difficult to indict Whitaker for the covert transmission of information to Team Trump, if no one can produce evidence of such a transmission.

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "As recently as a month ago, Mueller asked Trump's lawyers to produce call and visitor logs related to Stone from Trump Tower in New York, according to a source briefed on the matter. The request at this late stage of the investigation came as something of a surprise to lawyers involved, given that the Mueller team has been focused for months on Stone and his activities before the 2016 election.…The President and his lawyers have been aiming to return answers to Mueller's questions later this month, according to one source familiar with the matter. No final decision on an in-person interview has been made."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

The 2018 blue wave has convinced House Democrats that their base expect them to put up a good fight against Team Trump's shenanigans, and Nancy Pelosi isn't wasting any time in getting their battle plan in order. I also note that America loves a fighter, and I believe that that is exactly the game face that the 'Team House Democrats' are going to show:

Extract: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday scheduled an emergency conference call with her caucus to discuss President Donald Trump’s firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, underscoring Democrats’ concern with a move that will likely consume their attention when they take power in January.

Pelosi has invited the incoming chairmen of investigatory committees to present to Democratic incumbents as well as newly-elected candidates on Thursday afternoon. It’s an effort to get everyone on the same page and lay out what lawmakers know and don’t know, according to a source familiar with the plans for the phone call.…House Democrats immediately called for Whitaker to recuse himself, something the Washington Post reported he would not do.

Extract: "The FBI is reportedly conducting a criminal investigation into a company accused by the federal government of scamming aspiring inventors while new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker served on its advisory board.…The Journal noted that the FTC’s action against the firm was a civil proceeding and that an FBI investigation indicates authorities may be looking into possible criminal charges."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "U.S. Senate Democrats are considering legal action over President Donald Trump’s appointment of a new acting attorney general, congressional sources said on Friday, as some outside experts called the move unconstitutional."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "Matthew Whitaker, whom President Donald Trump named as his acting attorney general on Wednesday, privately provided advice to the president last year on how the White House might be able to pressure the Justice Department to investigate the president’s political adversaries, Vox has learned."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "President Trump first noticed Matthew G. Whitaker on CNN in the summer of 2017 and liked what he saw — a partisan defender who insisted there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. So that July, the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, interviewed Mr. Whitaker about joining the president’s team as a legal attack dog against the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.

At that point, the White House passed, leaving Mr. Whitaker, 49, to continue his media tour, writing on CNN’s website that Mr. Mueller’s investigation — which he had once called “crazy” — had gone too far.

Such legal actions would of course be decided at the level of the Supreme Court, a court that now has a broad right wing majority.

Expecting judicial support from the court as it now stands is beyond foolish, and with Justice Ginsburg hospitalized, the failure of the much heralded "Blue Wave" - "Blue Tsunami" may be felt for many decades.

Such legal actions would of course be decided at the level of the Supreme Court, a court that now has a broad right wing majority.

Expecting judicial support from the court as it now stands is beyond foolish, and with Justice Ginsburg hospitalized, the failure of the much heralded "Blue Wave" - "Blue Tsunami" may be felt for many decades.

Terry

I'm not so sure that conservative justices would automatically approve Whitaker's appointment. Depends on whether these "conservatives" are principled, or are partisan whores. See:

"Some—including Justice Clarence Thomas—have argued that an acting principal officer must be appointed in conformance with the Appointments Clause, i.e., by and with the advice and consent of the Senate: “Appointing principal officers under the FVRA ... raises grave constitutional concerns because the Appointments Clause forbids the President to appoint principal officers without the advice and consent of the Senate.”

Extract: "As Thomas wrote in 2017, the judiciary cannot ignore the law’s “check on executive power for the sake of administrative convenience or efficiency.” If Whitaker can’t legally serve as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government, it’s the duty of the courts to toss him out."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

The linked article provides still more evidence that Acting AG Whitaker is little more than an alt-right tool, who should be removed (by the courts) from his current responsibility for making sure that federal laws are not violated:

The arrest and questioning of Dmitry Rybolovlev could prove to be bad news for Trump should Mueller link Trump's sale of New York and Florida properties to Rybolovlev to Russian money laundering activities:

Extract: "Justice Department ethics laws are toothless, and a constitutional challenge would be a nightmare. In the meantime, sources say, the most powerful force preventing Matthew Whitaker from blowing up the Mueller probe may be Whitaker himself."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson